(Credit: Zain bin Awais)
After weeks of thrilling tournament action, the March Madness championship game is here! The 2025 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament sees the finest young hoopers test their skills—and represent their colleges—across the country. 68 teams enter the competition, but only one will become champion.
For the men's division, this year's television schedule is split across the four traditional channels: CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV. Meanwhile, women's games are on ABC and ESPN. However, if you don't have a TV with a cable package, the tournament is also available through apps, media streaming devices, and streaming video platforms. Here's how to watch the basketball action from anywhere.
How to Stream March Madness Brackets on the Web
The NCAA has made things less chaotic in the last few years by centralizing the tourney streams in the March Madness Live web-based app. The main web app is your best bet if you covertly stream games next to that super-important email or spreadsheet tab. It works on the desktop and mobile web.
However, the March Madness Live app comes with caveats. The games televised by CBS will be free via the service, and viewing them doesn't require a cable login. However, you'll need a cable or satellite login to access the live streams from the three Turner-owned channels (TNT, TBS, and truTV). Alas, even if you don't own a TV, you're still subject to its whims.
If you've got a cable login, this is still the best and most widely available way to stream March Madness games. You also get extra features, such as Fast Break (live coverage of multiple games that eliminates the need for a second screen), BracketIQ (matchup analysis), instant highlights, and real-time stats we've seen in past years.
How to Stream March Madness Brackets With a Mobile App
If you're not watching on a desktop computer, many live-streamed games are available on other officially supported devices and platforms. You can download the March Madness Live app for your smartphone, tablet, smart TV, or media streaming device. A reminder: Games broadcast by Turner require login credentials. Check out the full list of supported devices and services below:
- iPhones, iPads, and Apple TVs (March Madness Live)
- Android phones and tablets (March Madness Live)
- Android TVs (NCAA app)
- Roku devices (March Madness Live)
- Amazon Fire tablets (March Madness Live)
- Amazon Fire TVs (March Madness Live)
- Xbox consoles (March Madness Live)
Where to Stream the NCAA Tournament
If you want to watch every game without worrying about network broadcasts and login credentials, true cord-cutters can turn to one of several live TV streaming services. Check the full Men's March Madness and Women's March Madness NCAA Tournament schedule for where games are airing (and their start times).
NCAA Men's Tournament
- DirecTV Stream has a $101.98-per-month base Entertainment package that gives you access to TBS, TNT, and truTV, and a channel lookup tool to find a live CBS feed in your area.
- Fubo offers TNT, TBS, and truTV for $84.99 per month.
- Hulu's ad-supported, $82.99-per-month live TV package lets you stream all four channels.
- Max subscribers can watch more than 40 live March Madness games with the B/R Sports add-on, which is included in all Standard ($16.99 per month) and Premium ($20.99 per month) Max plans.
- Paramount+ subscribers can stream all the games broadcast on CBS. The service is priced at $7.99 per month (or $59.99 per year) and offers limited commercials. An ad-free version is available for $12.99 per month (or $119.99 a year).
- Sling TV is available on various streaming devices and offers two different subscription packages starting at $46 per month. Sling Blue package subscribers can access all three Turner channels: TBS, TNT, and truTV. Sling Orange customers get TNT and TBS, but can add truTV for $6 per month with the Entertainment Extra add-on.
- YouTube TV gives you access to CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV for $82.99 per month.
NCAA Women's Tournament
- ABC (available via YouTube TV)
- ESPN (available via YouTubeTV)
- ESPN+ is streaming March Madness games, too, starting at $11.99 per month.
How to Watch March Madness for Free
There is no legal way to stream every March Madness game for free. The tournament is only available through paid cable or subscription services. To watch without paying, your only option is to sample the free trials the various services offer. Fubo and Paramount+ both have one-week free trials. YouTube TV's free trials vary by plan.
How to Watch March Madness With a VPN
If you're watching outside the US and games are unavailable in your country, fire up a VPN. Set the region to a location in the US to access local streaming content. Check out our recommended VPNs for iPhones and Android devices if you're watching on the go. Not all VPN services work well with all streaming services, but the best VPNs for sports streaming will deliver high speeds without data limits. Great examples include Editors' Choice winners NordVPN and Proton VPN.
Jason Cohen contributed to this article.